Here’s a video of Samuel when he was a little happier. He’s a bit snuffly and grumpy at the moment as his teeth are coming through, hopefully he’ll be back to his old self soon.
Sam buffet!
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Author Archives: Richard
Best film ever?
Jessica and I went to see the new Star Trek film at the weekend and I wanted to share her latest film rating.
“Best film ever! One disturbing bit but can be coped with.”
Samuel developments
Boo!
Samuel is growing fast and I just wanted to boast about a few of the latest developments. He is now much better at sitting unaided, but we still have to keep a careful eye on him as he occasionally topples over. Sitting periods can now be measured in minutes instead of the ten seconds he used to manage.
Vocally he is now able to string together ga, goo, and da to make some convincing sentences. Occasionally I hear da-da but we are still waiting for the magic day when he actually means to say it. When he gets really excited we still have to suffer ear-splitting high pitched squeals and I sometimes worry that the neighbours will mistake this for something else and call social services.
Finally we have the teeth… we’ve waited a long time but we had noticed that the amount of chewing had increased dramatically over the weekend, and today we found his teeth are like busses – you wait for ages and then two come along at once. The teeth are only just poking through the lower gum but Samuel demonstrated how effective they were by biting Jessica on the nose. I’ve got load of videos and photos that I need to upload – hopefully I’ll get some time soon.
A new relative!
Cutting the tasty cake
Jessica, Samuel and myself were honoured to be guests at my sister’s wedding last weekend. Nick graduated from funkle to uncle and I gained a brother-in-law. Everything had been meticulously planned by Cara and it all went off without a hitch.
There was a tea theme to the wedding (that Jessica really approved of) and we were on the Earl Grey table which featured a cup fully of jelly bears to keep us going in between courses. The ceremony itself was short but sweet and unfortunately Samuel had to watch through the glass doors as he was a bit upset to be losing a funkle.
Samuel was very excited to see so many people in one place… he barely slept and was careful to smile at everyone he met in case there was a possibility of recruiting new minions. This was Samuel’s most complicated trip to date and I am pleased that we all coped with it well.
All in all it was a great event, Nick is a really nice guy and I welcome him into our family.
I am legend
We’ve just finished watching “I am legend”. Jessica says – a scary film, not for the faint-hearted Jessicas of this world.
New feature – Jessica film ratings
Does anyone know of a website where I can get information on how scary/graphic a film is without ruining the plot? Last week I watched “Cloverfield” with Jessica and although I thought the film was excellent, she was expecting to have nightmares after it. This time I have got “I am legend” which stars Will Smith therefore, Jessica thinks it will be fine… however a quick search of the BBFC website says it contains strong violence so perhaps it won’t be.
The BBFC pages are interesting but you can only get the full picture if you read the extended classification information which contains spoilers.
For now I’ll continue to provide the Jessica rating on this site – which means she may be traumatised a few times more.
Cloverfield – Not suitable for Jessicas of any age. Features bloody bits, high scariness factor and eakish moments. If forced to watch, suggest cushion and ear plugs be used.
Cold inside
From the top...
Steve was kind enough to organise a trip to Xscape (Milton Keynes) last Friday and I went along to see if I could still ski, a year after my first experiences in La Plagne. We went straight from work and hit a jam on the M25 where Steve had to tolerate me and Chris telling him the current traffic status using our iPhones.
We grabbed a quick bite at Wetherspoons and then went through to get our equipment. You always need to be ready to disclose your weight when you go skiing as they need to set the ski bindings up correctly. After revealing this embarrassing fact and collecting my skis I was ready to tackle the slope.
They had a snow plough too!
The slope would only rank as part of an easy blue run but it still looked a bit daunting for someone who hadn’t been skiing for a year. The run-off area at the bottom of the slope was quite short and there was no chance of starting on the easy slope as it was in use for lessons. In the end the first run down was fine and I managed to get through the whole evening without falling over. Chris’ first run was a little different – he got right to the bottom of the slope before he spotted one of his beloved safety fences and fell over in his excitement.
We ended up with about 3 hours of skiing taking a brief hot chocolate break in the middle. I was satisfied that I had remembered most of my skiing lessons but still felt like I was getting in the way of everyone else (mostly snowboarders). I’d recommend the experience though, and might have to visit the one in Leeds sometime.
Thanks again the Steve for organising and chauffeuring us to Milton Keynes and back.
Fidget dies
Sadly I have to announce that today Fidget came to the end of her two year life. She hasn’t been herself since an ear infection spread to her brain a couple of months ago. We don’t think she was suffering a great deal of pain as she wasn’t squeaking. I’ve found this footage of Fidget as we’ll remember her – a very inquisitive little hamster.
Feeling better
Hi,
It’s been a while since I’ve posted because me and Jessica have been suffering from a cowardly stomach bug. First it got Jessica and then a week later it got me too. Anyway, I’m finally eating proper meals again and am well on my way to almost full (we do have a young child) capacity.
What are you looking at?
Speaking of Sam, we tried to start the weaning process today by giving him a bit of baby rice. He has been taking a great interest in the eating habits of his parents and will sit there in shocked silence whilst we consume a meal. Lately he has taken to ‘chewing’ whilst out in the buggy or lay in his cot and we can only assume he is imititating us.
So, we decided to try the baby rice, but did he chew when we gave it to him… of course he didn’t. He accepted the rice into his mouth and then waited for it to fall out again which can clearly be seen in the picture. We’ll keep trying and I’m sure he’ll get the hang of it soon. I had expected a little bit more from this milestone but hopefully he’ll start to play with the food more and will be doing better next weekend.
Mothers Day
Sam and his mum
It’s been a little quiet on here the last few weeks as me and Jessica have been suffering with an upset stomach. We’re feeling 90% better now and hope that we’ll continue to improve whilst I’m off work this week.
Sunday was Jessica’s first Mother’s Day as a mother and me and Sam did our best to help her enjoy it. Sam managed to get three different presents for Jessica which she greatly enjoyed, and I made her a special chicken dish. We had a walk in the nice afternoon weather and I took the picture on the right. Samuel finally fits the hat that Daniel bought him and he looks very cute. Having seen how much fun Jessica had I am now looking forward to Father’s day!
As I mentioned, I have a week off work so I’ll be getting on with all the things I meant to do in the last few months – garden, dripping tap etc. Obviously I’ll get a lot more time with Sam and I’m hoping that he’ll do something new as he usually progresses well when we’re both around.
Below is a new video of Sam in his baby bouncer thing. He has been a bit cautious around it but (for one night only) he suddenly got the hang of it.